Robert Fernley was happy to secure a third consecutive double points finish of the season at the Bahrain International Circuit on Sunday, with both Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon moving up from starting positions outside the top ten.

The Sahara Force India F1 Team duo had mixed fortunes when it came to the mid-race safety car, with Perez gaining positions and Ocon losing out, but Deputy Team Principal Fernley admits these kind of things can happen.

“After a challenging qualifying session it’s very satisfying to get both cars into the points today,” said Fernley. “The team made all the right calls and Sergio and Esteban didn’t put a wheel out of place.

“Sergio was fortunate with the timing of the safety car, while Esteban lost ground, but that’s just the luck of the draw with a safety car.”

Fernley was pleased that they have returned to fourth place in the championship standings thanks to the results in Bahrain, and the trio of double points finishes gives Force India a great start to the season that they can build on.

“Scoring seven points is a fantastic result and moves us up to fourth place in the championship,” said Fernley. “We are racing well, taking our opportunities and scoring important points.

“It’s a solid start to our season and gives us a good base to build on as we improve the VJM10 over the coming races.”